Reaching At Risk Youth

Through Snowboarding at Bolton Valley

BOLTON VALLEY, VT (10/1/2011) -

As the first resort nationwide to partner with Chill, founded by Jake and Donna Burton in 1995, Bolton Valley works with the Burlington-based organization to bring snowboarding to youth who otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to hit the slopes.

The six-week program teaches 120 at-risk youth some of the most important lessons in life about patience, persistence, responsibility, courage, respect, and pride. Kids hit the slopes Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights for six weeks, where Chill coordinators instill these themes in the kids from the moment they step on the bus headed for Bolton, while gearing up, on the slopes, all the way to through to the return trip at the end of the night.

Bolton provides Chill with a deeply discounted rate for lift tickets and lessons, allowing Chill to provide the experience free of charge to the kids. As a result, three groups of 40 kids experience something other than what their city life brings them on a daily basis.

“The goal is to get these kids out of their inner city environment and up to the mountain to do something completely different,” said Josh Arneson, director of sales and marketing for Bolton. “It gives the kids a different perspective about life and a different challenge—learning to snowboard. Then they begin to realize that if they can meet the challenge of learning to ride, they can meet other challenges in their lives as well.”

To learn more about Chill, visit www.chill.org.

Bolton Valley is Vermont’s most convenient and affordable big mountain skiing. Less than 10 minutes from I-89 and less than 30 minutes from Burlington, the family-friendly mountain offers skiers and riders of all abilities three mountain peaks with 70 trails and 6 lifts, plus 3 terrain parks including the Burton Progression Park. Bolton Valley was the first in Vermont and the second in the U.S. to implement wind power as an energy source and is the recipient of the National Ski Areas Association’s 2010 Silver Eagle Award for environmental initiatives. Approximately 88km of high elevation Nordic terrain, a complete Sports Center and Indoor Amusement Center plus Vermont’s most extensive top-to-bottom night skiing and riding are just a few of the extras available to guests. All-inclusive, true ski-to-your-door lodging packages from $79/person/night. For more information visit www.boltonvalley.com or call 877-9BOLTON.